Stanford Rapist, Brock Turner, Gets Out Of Jail This Week

The Stanford rape case that set fire to social media with conversations about consent is being brought up again this week. Friday the world will see Brock Turner released from jail after serving just half of his six month sentence.

The Longer Version of It:

You might remember Turner as the former swimmer and Stanford student who sparked conversation online about consent just a few months ago. You'll more likely remember his face and name, after word of the victim impact statement in his trial went viral online. Turner had been convicted of three charges of felony sexual assault in March of this year when he was sentenced to six months confinement in a Santa Clara county jail with three years of probation. Now having served just 3 months of his sentence with good behavior, Turner will be released back out into the streets on September 2nd.

Turner's lack of responsibility (which he relayed to peer pressure, alcohol consumption and his school's party culture) throughout the case sparked widespread public criticism. Many accused the judge who made the decision on Turner's sentencing of judicial bias towards class privilege and sex. But it was the victim's 7,138-word impact statement, where Turner's accuser denounced him for his behavior and actions the night of the rape and the days in court that followed, that brought up another conversation about consent and privilege in the U.S.. The victim's harrowing statement, which described the suffering she injured the night of the rape and the days and nights thereafter went viral on the internet, and was read by news reporters from different outlets on air as well as group of 18 members of the House of Representatives during a statement on the House floor.

The Takeaway:

During a time where conversations on rape culture, bias in the criminal justice system towards privilege and campus safety are sweeping the nation, the Brock Turner case was a widely contentious chapter in our country's exchange about consent. An online petition calling for the unseating of Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over Turner's case went viral and received 1,000,000 signatures within just days after the sentencing. The state of California legislature passed a bill Monday that aims to prevent judges from making lenient rulings, such as Persky's, in future rape cases.